San Diego County Biographies
L. G. BUTLER
This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm
Two and one-half miles west of San Jacinto on that beautiful tract of
mesa land, is situated the very nicely managed fruit ranch and nursery of L. G.
Butler. It has the same grand scenery as other places near it, and it has a very
artistic new dwelling-house and a very neat new barn. The property has a fine
growth of young trees and shrubs on it, and as soon as the improvement in trees
and hedges take shape it will be the equal of any place to be found in any
county. Fifty acres are already planted to vines, orchard and nursery. The trees
are just old enough to begin bearing the coming season. He has 2,000 Bartlett
pear trees, 1,600 French prunes, 500 apricot, plum, peach and apple trees and
300 olive trees. The walk in front of the property, extending its whole length,
has a double row of olive trees. He is sowing 300 acres of wheat, oats and
barley this year. Mr. Butler was born in Wisconsin, February 28, 1851. His
parents were George and Eliza (Schoolcraft) Butler. They had four children, the
subject of this sketch being the third child. He was raised on a farm and
attended the public schools in Illinois until he was eighteen years of age. He
then spent two years in Iowa and then removed to Nebraska, where he owned a
farm, and he engaged in farming until October, 1873, when he sold it and came to
California. He settled at Orange, where he engaged in the fruit and nursery
business. He sold this business and removed to the coast where he engaged in the
stock business, raising cattle and horses. In 1885 he sold out and came to San
Jacinto and purchased his present place. In 1872 he was married to Miss Martha
E. Selby, daughter of George Selby, a native of Ohio, born in 1856. They have
one boy, Chester G., born March 14, 1881, in Orange, California. Mr. Butler does
nearly all the work on his place himself. He is very industrious and a good
farmer. He is well informed on the fruit tree business, and his trees show it,
and are fine, without a drop of irrigation. Some people who say choice fruit
cannot be raised in Southern California should see this and many other similar
ranches. Such men as Mr. Butler, the practical men who show what can be done,
are of great value in any community, and there is room for many more.
SOURCE: An Illustrated History of Southern California: Embracing the Counties
of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the Peninsula of Lower
California� Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1890. p.- 161